There is an increasing demand for paper-based products (e.g., paper, paperboard, and/or articles made therefrom) made at least partially from recycled waste material. There also is a demand for increasing the post-consumer waste (PCW) content of the recycled fibers used in such products. However, some types of PCW fibers may have a microorganism content (e.g., vegetative bacteria, endospores, fungi, etc.) that may be two to three orders of magnitude greater than that of virgin (i.e., non-recycled) fibers. Recycled fibers, in particular, PCW fibers, may also contain a significantly larger quantity of endospores than virgin fibers. Accordingly, the level of microorganisms must be reduced when the paper or paperboard is used for making products that are intended for low microorganism direct food contact (LMDFC) applications, for example, for being in contact with aqueous and/or fatty foods. Thus, there remains a need for paper or paperboard formed from up to 100% recycled waste materials for use in LMDFC applications. There is a further need for such a paper or paperboard including up to 100% PCW fibers. There also remains a need for methods of making the paper or paperboard and products formed from the paper or paperboard for LMDFC applications.